Ondo election: 20 parties ask INEC to shift poll

7 years ago

Ondo election: 20 parties ask INEC to shift poll

Five days to the Ondo State governorship election, 20 political parties on Monday in Abuja demanded that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, postpone the exercise because of security reasons.

Rising from an emergency meeting held at the national secretariat of Labour Party (LP), the 20 parties warned that Nigeria cannot afford to have Ondo State engulfed in avoidable political crises.

The National Chairman of LP, Abdulkadir Abdulsalam read the text of the crowded world joint press conference attended by all the chairmen and key national officers of the 20 parties.

The communique titled: “THE URGENT NEED FOR SHIFTING THE ONDO STATE GOVERNORSHIP ELECTION DATE TO AVOID THE INEVITABLE CRISES: PRESS CONFERENCE BY 20 POLITICAL PARTIES, reads:

All patriotic Nigerians must be appalled and bemused at the political scenarios or tap-dancing unfolding in Ondo State these last weeks of the 2016 governorship election campaign. The gravely unfortunate scenes playing out in both the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressive Party (APC), the ruling party in the state and the major opposition political parties are clear indications of major political crises brewing unabatedly in a state known for peace, political stability and tranquility and harmony.

It is important to call attention to the situation and rally Nigerians around the great people of Ondo State to forestall the imminent danger of the looming crises that are enveloping the state.

It is instructive that the “Do or Die” politics of the past must not be revisited on Ondo State of all places, given the education and political sagacity of the people. Both the APC and the PDP are engrossed in open challenges going into the governorship election this weekend, although the APC has been very sophisticated and diplomatic in managing and internalizing its challenges.

However, a situation in the PDP where the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has been cajoled and intimidated into recognizing the two factions of the PDP is quite an aberration to our democracy.

Just a few months ago, in the Edo governorship election, INEC upheld the candidacy of the Senator Markafi-led faction of the PDP as the authentic group to file a candidate for the party. Now, in the Ondo State governorship election slated for Saturday, 26 November, 2016, the same electoral umpire is upholding the governorship candidacy of the Senator Sheriff-led faction of the party, under the guise of “obeying Court Order”. This quagmire must be resolved by the courts, even if this drags on to the Supreme Court, before any meaningful governorship election can take place in Ondo State.

If INEC is brazenly intimidated into abdicating its rudimentary function of monitoring and certifying the validity of party primary elections for the selection of candidates, and instead acquiesce by allowing the court to arbitrarily pick candidates without INEC-monitored primaries, then our democracy is becoming gravely injured, needing urgent ambulatory care and political surgery. This is because some callous Nigerians of wealth may simply ignore all the electoral rules with impunity, approach the courts and obtain uncontested court orders foisting themselves as election candidates of their parties without due process. What an ugly narrative of our democracy and jaundiced electoral system that would be!

Another critical concern is the growing level of violence and insecurity in the Ondo political environment precedent to the governorship election on Saturday. In recognition of this ugly fact, we also take this opportunity to call on the relevant security agencies (the Police, DSS, NSCDC, etc.) to immediately put pressure on INEC to shift the election date to a possible date after the court processes have been completed, but within the constitutional provisions, to guarantee peaceful and healthy political environment for the election.

It is important to note that the political parties fielding cand